A Gauteng woman is inconsolable after prosecutors at a Joburg court allegedly released a man who was once her boyfriend, who she insists tricked her and defrauded her out of almost R600,000.
“I met Hatim on Telegram in the year 2022. We started dating a few weeks after we met. Soon after that, he wanted to introduce me to his uncle at Sandton. I was very impressed because that was the first time a guy thought I was worthy to be known by his family,” said Mbali Jackson (not her real name) in an interview with IOL.
The woman's real name is withheld by IOL to protect her from victimisation.
“I am raising six children of my three late sisters and I don't have kids of my own. When I met Hatim, I was in my late 30s and was considering a child of my own – but I wanted to do it right by getting married first, then have children. So when I met Hatim, he made me believe that I can be a mother too.”
She said Hatim also made it clear that he was looking forward to have children and a future with her.
“That made me feel so good and I believed he really meant every word,” Mbali recounted.
“Hatim is Muslim, and he said according to his customs, he had to take me to his uncle. He took me to the uncle staying in Sandton and the uncle introduced their rituals worship to me, speaking to their ancestors. I was ignorant and I just believed that is probably how Muslims do things."
On the first day of meeting the uncle at his home in Sandton, Mbali said she was led into a small room.
“I refused to enter that room. I turned back, went to my car and left. Hatim begged me, and he assured me there was no harm in it. He said it was their way of rituals. Hatim insisted that is how they worship in Tanzania,” said Mbali.
Weeks later, she reconsidered her position and returned to the house.
“After two weeks, I went back to the uncle’s house. That evil uncle took us into their dark room. That is when everything started going south. From nowhere, in that room, we heard voices of the so-called ancestors welcoming me and said they are happy because Hatim was happy. The ancestors said they wanted to bless us,” Mbali narrated.
As part of the rituals, Mbali was instructed by the mysterious voices to approach different commercial banks and to get cash loans from them.
The money from commercial banks, according to the voices, would be mixed with the loads of money that they were about to give her.
“I asked Hatim, what was that and he acted shocked as well. He insisted he doesn't know, but he told me that his brother had gone through the same process too. He said that he believed that it was a safe process and he vowed that he won't let anything bad happen to me,” said Mbali.
The lovestruck, confused and shocked Mbali approached Nedbank and African Bank at Fourways mall and received cash loans amounting to R480,000.
“I was introduced to a lady identified as Lebo, a Tshwana-speaking South African woman who accompanied me to the specific banks to get the cash loans. After getting the loans of R480,000 from the two banks – Nedbank and African Bank, the following week I also got a R10,000 cash loan from FNB. This happened in November 2022.
“Then the rest of the money I was defrauded was my personal savings which I transferred from my bank accounts to the uncle. Some of the money I sent as eWallets to both Hatim and the uncle. I also sent some money to Hatim,” said Mbali.
“After all the money was withdrawn I was told that as part of the rituals process, I was not supposed to see or talk to Hatim because he needed to travel to KwaZulu-Natal. I was told he was going to do rituals of being prepared to be a man, so that he would be able to be a strong man for his family as we are about to start out own family,” said Mbali.
“A few days later, he came back, and we continued to talk until I was told again by the uncle to stop talking to Hatim. The uncle said Hatim needed to focus on his processes that they were doing. Hatim and I did not stop chatting.”
Mbali said things started to change and the uncle accused her of messing up the processes when she got back with Hatim.
“The uncle was referred to as Adam, and he resided at Sandton, along 40th Street in Parkhurst. After all this, the uncle moved from the house but he did not stop lying to me. Both Hatim and him kept taking my money every month. This is the trauma I will never forget because I feel like I didn't listen to God when he tried to warn me. I did not listen,” she said.
Mbali later opened a case at Sandton police station and detectives were assigned to the case.
In July 2024, police in Gauteng made a breakthrough and arrested the accused man known as Hatim. At the time, the SA Police Service in Gauteng said the 36-year-old man, who allegedly defrauded Mbali, was arrested on July 26.
At the time, Gauteng provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said the accused man was charged with fraud. Police did not mention the accused man's personal details, as he had not appeared in court.
“He was taken to the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on a Monday, July 29, 2024, but the National Prosecuting Authority decided not to place the matter on the court roll, citing that there is not enough evidence that links the boyfriend to the crime,” Masondo said at the time.
Mbali said she was devastated after Hatim was released without making a court appearance.
Mbali has made several unconfirmed allegations against court prosecutors, and IOL has sought comment from the National Prosecuting Authority.
An update on this story will be done once the NPA response has been received.
IOL has been running the scammed series, where numerous South African women have now joined hands, speaking out against the rampant romance scams.
The women who are often breadwinners in their households, are left destitute, emotionally traumatised with some women reportedly committing suicide after being scammed.
In October, Nigerian national, Gabriel Okori, was released on bail when he appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court facing charges of fraud and theft amounting to R3 million.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, said Okori, 39, appeared before the Pretoria court after he was arrested in Cape Town earlier in October.
“He has been granted R5,000 bail and the matter is postponed to January 16, 2025,” Gauteng spokesperson for the Hawks, Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela told IOL at the time.
Okori was arrested by the Hawks, assisted by City of Cape Town’s law enforcement and a private security company.
The Hawks in Gauteng said Okori allegedly scammed a woman who he had met online.
The woman, whose identity is withheld to protect her from victimisation, believed she was involved with a white man named Mark Hermanus.
“The complainant in the matter alleges that she met what she thought was a white male on Facebook by the name of Mark Hermanus, the two exchanged cellphone numbers and began chatting on instant messaging (WhatsApp),” said Mavimbela.
“While the pair were getting to know each other, ‘Mark Hermanus’ informed the complainant that his son was sick and asked the complainant to lend him money for his son’s medical bills.”
The Hawks said the woman kept giving “Mark Hermanus” money, and the bill escalated to over R3 million.
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